Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 21 preview: Strikers in focus and Isak over Salah as captain?

A packed schedule of domestic cup matches at the start of 2025 has given Fantasy Premier League managers plenty to think about when it comes to future planning.

The results in both the Carabao Cup semi-finals and the FA Cup third round have given us clues about the coming empty and double matchweeks, which may also affect our strategy for Gameweek 21, which has a deadline of Tuesday evening (18:00 GMT; 13:00 ET) ).

So what are the big takeaways from recent cup matches and the decisions to be made in the next game week?

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When should we expect empty and double game weeks to occur?

The FA Cup and Carabao Cup results will help us predict the state of play for empty and double matchweeks later in the season.

On paper, we should have reduced disruption to the Premier League schedule later this year as the FA Cup fifth round and quarter-finals fall on their own dedicated weekends in March (the days around March 1 and March 29 respectively).

That means Gameweek 29, which clashes with the Carabao Cup final on March 16, and Gameweek 34, which clashes with the FA Cup semi-finals (penciled for April 26-27), are set to provide the only significant changes to the schedule, subject to postponements caused by bad weather or otherwise.

If Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United progress through the second round of their respective Carabao Cup semi-finals, they will then blank Gameweek 29 and likely have two games in Gameweek 33.

We won’t know the result until early February’s second leg, with Fulham and Crystal Palace the other sides potentially blanking and then doubling up, opening Gameweek 33 as Bench Boost material.

A potential empty game week reduces the appeal of Newcastle assets, despite them being second for goals scored in the last four game weeks with 11, and a run of fixtures including Wolves, Bournemouth, Southampton and Fulham in their next four games.

I’m still keen to triple the Newcastle players in the short term, with just the 54 per cent owned Alexander Isak (£9.3m)who missed his side’s FA Cup win over Bromley on Sunday with “a muscle problem”, no longer enough to capitalize on their form.

There is an opportunity to triple their front three, with Anthony Gordon (£7.5m) and Jacob Murphy (£5.1m)who each have four goal involvements in the last four game weeks, both attractive options.

Defender Lewis Hall (£4.9m) also has appeal, with four assists this season and the 20-year-old has contributed to seven Newcastle clean sheets, although Sven Botman’s return from a long-term injury could disrupt their back line going forward.

Who are the key Liverpool assets?

We already know that Liverpool will have a double gameweek this season, following the postponement of the Merseyside derby in December, with rumors that this rescheduled fixture could fall in February.

That means investment in their assets should remain high, with Arne Slott’s side scoring a league-leading 16 goals in the last four gameweeks.

A trip to Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night is as tough as it gets, but the schedule beyond that remains appealing to Liverpool’s assets.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.2m) has divided opinion in recent games, following up his 15-point haul in a 5-0 win against West Ham with a zero-point return in a difficult performance against Manchester United.

Conor Bradley’s return from injury, plus swirling speculation about his future, adds fuel to the fire – but he won’t be going anywhere in my team until he becomes a rotational risk.

Cody Gakpo (£7.3m) currently gives the most appeal in an attacking Liverpool double-up along with Mohamed Salah (£13.6m)where the Dutchman has scored three goals and one assist in the last four game weeks.

Crucially, he is in less than 10 per cent of teams, making him a significant difference to the game – although Liverpool’s trip to Brentford in Gameweek 22 is a better entry point.

A wealth of forward-looking opportunities

We have seen significant transfer traffic among strikers again this week, with the injury to Bournemouth Evanilson (£5.9m) and four consecutive clean sheets for Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson (£8.1m) shaking forward lines.

The template forward picks by Isak and Chris Wood (£6.8m) remain well-founded on current form, but there are options to consider for third in a 3-4-3 formation, including Liverpool’s Gakpo.

I’ve rolled along Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) in my team since Gameweek 8 and in that time he has started all but one game with five goals and nine assists from 12 appearances which is fantastic consistency.

Brighton’s Joao Pedro (£5.7m) has seen significant transfer traffic recently, having scored against Arsenal last time out and registered two assists against Aston Villa in his previous game, but the budget-friendly forward suffered an ankle injury last week.

Fulham’s Raul Jimenez (£5.7m) is just under 10 per cent. owned and to a significant extent on fines. He has converted from the spot three times in the last two gameweeks.

Managers will await an update on Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus (£6.9m). He suffered a knee injury and was taken off on a stretcher during their FA Cup defeat to Manchester United.

Captain for game week 21

As Liverpool travel to face Nottingham Forest this week, Salah has been edged out in terms of his popularity as a captain’s choice.

He has produced a goal involved in 12 consecutive Premier League games, but Forest are on a six-game winning streak, with just three goals conceded this term, making this one unpredictable.

I personally prefer Isak, who has a home game against Wolves, who have conceded five goals in the last four gameweeks.

Newcastle come into this game on the back of five consecutive wins and Isak has now scored in seven consecutive league games, an enviable run. He is my favorite for the armband this week.

AI models provide Cole Palmer (£11.4m) edge when it comes to predicted points for Gameweek 21, with Chelsea not involved in Carabao Cup action last midweek.

Palmer plays at Stamford Bridge against Bournemouth, with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga ineligible for this match. However, Chelsea’s overall form has suffered in recent games, with just two goals for Palmer in the last four gameweeks.

(Top photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)